Toph The Bride
by krazygal1991
Summary: Toph goes back to her parents after the war is done. What do her parents have planned for her? A marriage.
1. Chapter 1

"What does it say, Katara?" Toph asked with impatience.

A grey hawk recently dropped off a scroll sent to the blind earthbender. It perched on Sokka's right shoulder and got whacked by his left hand. The poor bird dropped the scroll and began to peck at the boy's head. Katara ignored the commotion and picked up the paper.

The waterbender unrolled the scroll and read it. "It's from your parents..."

"Oh." Toph kicked a pebble down the road they were standing on. She also turned her back to them and tried not to show interest. "What do they want _now_?"

Katara was silent a while before speaking again. "They want you back home. It says they have changed for the better and understand why you left." her arms dropped to her sides with the letter. "It also says it's important for you to go back home..."

Toph turned back around and stared at Katara's forehead, thinking it was her eyes, "Should I go back?"

Aang stepped forward and stared at the ground, "Well, the war _is _over..." he sighed. "You taught me all you know about earthbending... Besides, they're your parents! It's the only family you have."

Her blind eyes filled with tears. "You guys are my family..."

"Toph. They're still your family, whether you like it or not." Sokka pulled her into a hug. "I know when my dad left for the war, I was so alone. The villagers became my family. But it was never the same."

The blind girl rested her head on Sokka's chest. "So, you're saying I should go back?"

Katara put an arm on the girl's shoulder. "We'll all be splitting up soon... Zuko is back home with Fire Lord Iroh. Even me and Sokka are going back to the South Pole... It'd be best if you went back to your parents."

Toph sighed. "Can I at least be with you guys one more night?"

They all gathered and joined into a hug. Aang whispered, "Of course you can Toph."

She grinned. "I'll miss you guys!"

Sokka pulled back and wiped his eyes. "Come on... let's go do something special!"

Katara laughed. "Like what?"

"Whatever Toph wants to do." smiled Aang.

"Hmm... I know the best thing!" Toph grinned and began to walk off. The others followed.

The gang walked down the road for almost an hour and got into a busy town. People were running around with bags with frusterated expressions. Kids ran through the dusty streets playing games all happily. Merchants stood in stalls on both sides of the wide and crowded street. Each one of them selling something different. The four teenagers walked unnoticed through the road.

Toph stopped in front of a small building, looked like a tiny house fit for one person. The girl knocked on the door and a little window opened in the door. Two green eyes appeared in the crack. "Who's there?"

"It's me..." Toph turned her head a bit so he could see her face.

The man's eyes grew big and quickly opened the door. He stood at the side and bowed down to the group. "It's an honour to have you here!" They walked in.

"Yeah yeah." Toph walked away. "We're just here for the show."

Sokka, Aang, and Katara all gave each other uncertain looks as they walked down a dark hall and descended down a flight of stairs.

"Toph... what exactly is this place?" Sokka's voice was shaking.

She grinned. "You'll see."

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they were in a cramped area. Toph earthbended the wall to the side reveiling a wide open area with rows and rows of seats and an arena in the middle. The seats were almost filled with loud fans, yelling at the two people fighting below.

Aang's mouth fell to the ground. "Wrestling?!"

"Yep!" smiled Toph as she walked to her seat.

"Oh boy!" Sokka ran to his seat in front of Toph and began to yell encouragement to one of the wrestlers.

Katara and Aang reluctantly sat down on the bench and watched down below. Toph sat there in silence, consumed in her thoughts. This was going to be the last night with her friends.

--

I was getting yelled at while this was being written... and parents are fighting. Yeah, this happens a lot. Anyways, hope you like it :D


	2. Chapter 2

Toph is 15 in this story... yeah, no logic behind it XD

--

It was early morning, the sun was just barely in the sky. Toph stood in the middle of her sleeping friends; belongings on her back. Sokka, Aang, and Katara all slept peacefully on the grass ground in their sleeping bags. The trees swayed in the wind as Toph stood there silently; her black hair blowing in front of her eyes.

The blind girl said her silent goodbyes to each of her friends. "I love each of you... and I'll think of you, always." Then earthbended the ground as transportation and was on her way.

She moved her legs in rhythm, as though she was walking. With each step, a memory would pass before her eyes. The first memory was of her and Aang first fighting when she was the Blind Bandit. The day he got the name "Twinkle Toes".

The next memory was of her and Aang's first Earthbending Lesson. How badly the Avatar sucked at earthbending. It was hard to believe he even earthbended in previous lives! A smile crept across her face as she thought about her friends.

But the smile quickly left her lips when she remembered her last encounter with her parents. What would they do this time? Chew her out for leaving? Lock her in chains? With those thoughts, she stopped the earth she was riding on and stared at the ground. "What if they treat me like a baby again?"

Toph slowly walked across the land. She wasn't in a hurry anymore... The bag that lay behind her swung back and forth as she moved. "Well, I'll be there by tonight..." she sighed. "What is so important that I have to be home?" Toph paused. "What if something has happened to them?" The ground made a lump and she began to run with the earth once more; but faster. She zipped through the fields.

The moon was rising and the sun was setting. Toph stood in the middle of her old yard. "Well... here I go..." she slowly walked up to the front doors and held her breath as her fist rose and began to knock on the heavy wood.

The door slowly opened and the servant stepped to the side and bowed. "Pleased to see you again Miss. We've been expecting you."

Toph nodded her head and delicately walked inside and stood at the doorway. The servant seemed to be an old man, his limbs were always shaking. They possibly just kept him because he knew how to do the job. "Right this way ma'am." He led her down the corridor. She had no choice but to follow.

The elderly man pointed out everything to her, each door they passed, he said something. "Right there is your bedroom." Toph 'saw' into her room and noticed nothing had changed. "And right over there is the music room." She shuddered. Playing an instrument was pure torture.

They both stopped at two large golden doors at the end of the hall. The servant bowed down at Toph. "This is where I leave you. Your parents should be inside." He rose and slowly opened the door. "Presenting Lady Toph."

The blind girl felt around. There was a chair placed in the middle of the room facing the two figures. Her mother and father sat in the front on high and grand chairs. They both stared at her, were they happy or angry? The old man turned to leave and whispered to Toph, "It's wonderful to see you again miss. Please, if you need anything, just call for me. Remember my name: Fumi" Then he walked off leaving the family alone.

The couple's eyes burned on Toph's skin as she slowly walked to the lonsome chair in the middle of the room. She sat down and stared at the ground. "Hello Mother and Father." she said hopelessly.

"Toph." her mother smiled. "We've missed you."

"Wish I could say the same..." Toph muttered.

Her father's face was cold as stone. "There's something we have to tell you..." Here it goes. "When you were first born, we promised you to a young man." So much for the usual 'We've missed you!' "That man belongs to the Xie Xu family. You possibly remember them from the grand balls you used to attend." He stood up and stared down at his daughter. "You're nearing the age of Sixteen." In about nine months. "And it's time you learned what it means to be a wife."

Toph stood up and began to protest. "Why am I forced to get married? Why am I not allowed to choose a husband for myself?"

"Because. We owe their family..." Her mother said sorrowfully.

"Owe them what? Your only daughter?"

"We owe them everything."

"Why?!" Toph pushed her foot into the ground. "I'm _not _going to marry some loser I don't even know!"

"You know him." Her father said simply. "You just won't remember him."

"I'm still not going to get married to this fool."

"You have no choice, Toph." her mother said with frustration.

"I can runaway again, I don't _have _to stay here--"

"You can't runaway. We've got guards everywhere. This promise is going to be filled." The father grabbed her arm and began to drag her to the doors. "You're going to your room and going to think about this."

Her father continued to drag Toph down the glorious hall and into her old room. The door swung open. The room was magnificent, for a little girl. The walls were pink and the floor matched. Her bed was large and pink with wooden poles coming from all four angles. There was a little table in the far right corner of the room with a tea set resting on top. And all around the room there were stuffed animals. Behind the table laid a single window which was sealed to keep her inside.

The man threw Toph onto her bed and let go of her arm. "Now think about this wedding. You're going to go through with it no matter what." Then her turned and left the room.

Toph sat on her bed, almost to tears. "How can I marry a stranger? I won't do it... I won't! I'll escape if I have to..." She dragged her feet to the window and looked around. They were right, there were tons of guards. About sixty of them. If she were going to escape, it was going to be beyond hard.

--

-is bad at detail-


	3. Chapter 3

I've had a few brain blocks... XD Sorry. I begin all of these stories and I can barely keep up with them!

-x-

Toph's blind eyes looked outside the window. Sure, she could easily take down those guards. But where would she go? Aang, Sokka, and Katara were all splitting up. She couldn't possibly track them down and intrude with their lives... Besides, her parents would find her sooner or later. She will just have to try a different way... But not tonight... some night they weren't expecting it.

The girl sighed and laid on her bed. She faced the ceiling, arms behind her head, and legs over one another. Quietly, she hummed to herself. Some song she heard in Omashu. In the middle of the song, someone at the door knocked lightly.

Toph unfolded her body and sat up in bed. "Come in!"

The door opened and tiny feet entered in. "G'evenin' ma'am. I am your new servant."

The blind girl's legs hanged over the side of the bed and stared into what she thought the servant's eyes. "...Servant?"

"Yes ma'am. Your father bought me from the Fire Nation a few years ago." Her soft hand lightly touched Toph's. "I've been assigned to you... To help--"

Toph moved her hand away. "Listen you! I am _not _the helpless little blind girl my parents think I am! I _don't _need some woman here to boss me around! If you think you can--"

"Miss. Please." The woman stood up straighter. "I know what you are capable of... ALL of the Earth Kingdom knows. Stories of the Avatar and his gang have been spreading around like a forest fire."

"Then what will you really do for me?"

"I'll keep you company." She smiled. "My name is Ahe."

"Well, Ahe, it's nice to meet you." Toph said flatly.

She sighed. "Like you... I am to be married within the year..."

"What the hell is with all these marriages?"

Ahe shrugged. "It's a duty of all women... To bear children..."

"I'm more of a fighter... _Not _a mother!"

She sighed. "Try and get some sleep..."

"How can I sleep? I'm engaged to some stranger!"

"Fine. Sit there and complain. But if you don't mind, I'll work on my sewing." Ahe sat on a stool at a little table near the window. She hummed a soft song which rung in Toph's ears.

"What is that?"

Ahe continued her sewing with thread and needle, "Want to hear the lyrics?"

"Sure."

"Okay." She put the fabric on the table and closed her eyes as she softly sang. "Oh, hard is the future of all womankind. She's always controlled. She's always confined. Controlled by her parents until she's a wife. A slave to her husband for the rest of her life."

Toph hugged her knees to her chest. "It's true... isn't it? We _are_ controlled..."

"Yeah, it is..."

"Well, I for one, refuse to be controlled!"

"I said that before... until I was captured by Fire Nation Merchants and sold to Earth Kingdom... I've lost all hope..."

They fell silent for a while. Ahe sounded so young and hopeless... "Ahe, how old are you?"

"I'm seventeen..."


	4. Chapter 4

"Miss... It's time to wake up!" Ahe began to shake the young girl back and forth. "Your parents need to see you!" Toph pushed the servant away and rolled over so her back was to her. Ahe shook her head and took the blankets away. "C'mon, you _need _to get up."

"I don't _need _to do anything except sleep!" Toph retorted.

"Listen." Ahe took the girl's arm which was quickly yanked away from her grasp. "You're not with the Avatar anymore! You live in a strict society controlled by your parents. Now, either wake up or suffer the consequences!"

The blind girl sat up, "What can they possibly do to me? They're forcing me to get married. As far as I'm concerned, my life can't get any worse."

"They can choose the worst husband in the kingdom instead of the best... Remember: Whomever they choose, you're stuck with for the rest of your life."

"Not if I kill him." Toph grinned.

"You _have _to be kidding!"

"And if I'm not?"

Ahe sighed and threw a dress at Toph. "Get ready, your parents are waiting for you."

Toph slid out of bed and waited for the door to close. When it did, she shedded her night clothes and put on the dress. What could her parents want from her today? The door opened again. "Well, what do you think?" Toph spinned around, making the dress flow around her.

"Look wonderful, miss. Except for that hair."

Her blind hands felt around her messy bun. "It's just hair..."

"I know, but your parents will not be pleased-"

Toph began to stomp out of the room as she yelled, "To hell with my parents!"

The door slammed behind her as she walked down the corridor. Her feet slid across the cold rocks as her steps echoed down the hall. Toph was gone for more than a year, and yet, she remembered every room and crack in this prison.

The blind girl went around the last turn and took a big breath. "Hello Fumi."

"Hello Miss Toph. How are you this fine morning?" He stood by the door which seperated the family.

"Fine. I heard my parents wanted to see me. I figured I might as well get this over with." She stopped two feet away from the servant. "Are they ready?"

Fumi laughed and bowed to the girl. "Ready as they ever are, miss."

He extended an arm and slowly opened the metal door. The male servant continued to bow as the teenager walked past. "I'll see you later." She whispered as the door slowly shut behind her.

"Good morning, daughter." It was her mother's voice. "Please, sit."

Toph forcefully moved her legs to the wooden chair that she has sat in many times before. She 'looked' around the room, it was just her mother and her... no father. "What is it?"

"At least use a proper greeting." She sighed.

"Fine. Hello Mother! It's wonderfulto _see_ you this morning! You _look_ so beautiful. I absolutely love what you have done with your hair-"

"Toph." Her mother shook her head. "Enough of your nonsense."

"Then tell me what you have to tell me!"

Her mother rose from her seat. "Fine." She slowly walked down to her daughter. "I've figured it is time to tell you something about me and your father."

Toph smiled, "Did you adopt me?"

"Don't joke about something like that!" She sighed. "No. The truth is, I know what you are going through with this wedding."

"That I absolutely hate it?"

"What's to hate? We're ensuring you a solid future!" Her mother lowered her voice. "...I was your age when my parents called me to them, much like we did to you the other day." Toph's expression remained uninterested. "And they told me that I would marry some man named Lao Bei Fong."

"So you and dad had an arranged marriage?"

"Yes."

"Haven't you learned from your mistakes? Just look at you two... You're the example I shouldn't marry someone my _parents _chose!"

"That's enough! I'm _very _happy with your father!"

"Really? You sure don't know how to show your over flowing joy." Toph stood up and began to walk away. "Are you _really _happy with him?"

Her mother stood there, watching her daughter leave. "Go to your room!"

"I _am _going to my room!" The teenager ran into the hall and used Earthbending to slam the metal doors.

"Another successful meeting with your parents, I assume." Fume laughed as she stormed past him.

"Oh yes, _very_ successful."


	5. Chapter 5

Ahe was waiting by the bedroom door for the earthbender. "How did it go?"

Toph slammed the door open and shut it in her servant's shocked face. Her feet ran to the single window in the room and she looked around outside. The metal bars in the opening were bended with ease by her hands. It didn't matter anymore, her parents weren't going to listen. To change the future, Toph would have to change the events. This wedding wasn't going to happen if she had anything to do about it.

The girl swung one foot up and leaned outside. "Ma'am." Ahe had snuck in and now whispered in a calming voice, "You know your parents will not rest till you are wed."

Toph turned her head so she could be heard clearly. "I'm not marrying someone my parents choose to just get out of a debt."

"The wedding has been moved to tomorrow. Your parents have seen this comin'"

She shook her head back and forth violently before throwing her body out of the window. For the few seconds the girl was flying through the air; she felt like she could fly and that she was free for once in her life. The wind blew around her body as her black and tangled hair tore apart from it's messy bun. Toph's feet fell onto the moist grass and reality hit her like a rock. Actually, it was a boulder... that was coming straight at her.

Swiftly, Toph smashed the incoming piece of earth with her delicate index finger. The ground beneath her bare feet rose and she began to surf through the long yard, _Let's see... There are about 60 of these guys, and about 120 yards to the gate. Easy._ The teenager smiled at this thought.

Large rocks continued to fly her way as guards began to run towards the prisoner. Toph swerved and dipped out of the paths of the flying earth. Were they trying to kill her? As rocks and dirt flew by her head, she began to build walls around her body to stop more bruises and cuts from forming.

_Almost there!_ Toph thought triumphantly as the guards closed in around her. "Try to catch me!" She taunted.

Suddenly, a great weight jumped at her and the young woman was thrown the ground. "The Boulder has finally caught the blind girl!" A voice growled as he lifted her off the ground.

"What the hell!" Toph began to kick at his body and squirm in his grip. "Let me go!"

The Boulder laughed deeply as he wobbled back to the house. "Now blind girl has to deal with parents."

"Get the fuck off of me!" She screamed as she struggled to control the earth.

"Toph. Calm down," Her father's voice came from the front door. "Is that any way to act around your future husband?"

She went silent. He was here? The girl growled in effort to touch the ground to see this man. "The Boulder is not letting go of little pest so soon." He grunted.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Toph shouted at the mysterious man. Was he even there?

"Please, put her on the ground," Her mother gasped, "but hold her in place."

The Boulder threw Toph on the ground but kept his hand pressed strongly on her head. Through her feet, she stared at her husband-to-be. "You're old!"

The man gave an obnoxious snort. "Who are you calling old? Okay, I'm old."

Toph used her bending and shot her captor a few feet from her. "How the hell do you expect me to marry a man with wrinkles?"

"Dear, this isn't just any old man." Her mother said softly. "He is the king of Omashu."

The king's bones cracked as he stood up straighter. "Please, call me Bumi!"

-x-

Gross, I know. But I didn't feel like making a Mary Sue :) It was going to be Jet... but he sorta died.


End file.
